With almost all political organisations focusing on the general election, we in the WSM spent most of January and February exploring alternative strategies for bringing about societal change in Ireland. To that end, we had a successful internal education weekend in Cork in February, where topics discussed included trade union activity, communications and mobilisations. Our Cork branch also hosted an open meeting in their Solidarity Books premises in January where an anarchist activist recently returned from Afghanistan gave an overview of the situation there.

WSM members remained active in a number of other areas at the beginning of 2011. We were represented at the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration in Derry in January. Elsewhere in the North, guest delegates from the WSM attended the Eirigí Árd Fheis in Belfast.

In the South, members assisted in Shell to Sea’s distribution of €540 billion commemorative bank notes to members of the public in eight different towns and cities symbolising the cost to the exchequer of the giveaway of Ireland’s oil and gas reserves. According to Caoimhe Kerins of Dublin Shell to Sea, “the general election campaign is being fought against the backdrop of the greatest economic crisis to face the people of this state since its foundation. Tens of billions of euro have been poured into private banks and the government is imposing savage public spending cuts. Yet voters have been told that there is no alternative to this austerity programme as the state lacks resources. However, the government’s own figures, published by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, indicate that Ireland’s Atlantic Margin contains ten billion barrels of oil equivalent. The value of this substantial reserve is estimated to be in excess of €500 billion. … Proper management of our substantial oil and gas reserves would provide a long-term revenue stream for the state and substantial resources to invest in our public services.”

Our student members supported the FEE (Free Education for Everyone) picket of Fine Gael HQ in protest at their plans to implement a graduate tax (see http://free-education.info for more). As Lorcan Myles of FEE put it, “electing Fine Gael to implement the same cuts we’ve endured under a Fianna Fail/Green government is not a solution. A vote for Fine Gael will amount to a vote for more savage IMF cuts to public services, and a graduate tax will only result in more young people being forced to emigrate. Fine Gael are just more of the same.” Back in Cork, our members remain active in the anarchist forum and social welfare defenders in the city, both of which aim to take actions against government cutbacks. In Castlebar, the WSM was represented at an INMO protest at Mayo General Hospital against the proposed cuts in student nurses pay.

Whatever the make up of the new government, ongoing austerity will be the name of the day. Successful resistance will only come about though activity on the streets, in our workplaces and in our communities. WSM members will be involved and if you would like to be also, then get in touch!

The day after Christmas 2010, Vice-President García Linera, in the absence of President Evo Morales, who was on a tour of Venezuela, announced that the state subsidies of some fuels were to be removed. He also spoke of raising taxes on some of them such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel. As a result, petrol rose by 72%, diesel by 84% and aviation fuel by 99%.

Many people don’t see eye to eye with the police, Anarchists much included. While this opposition can manifest itself physically when the police employ repressive tactics, it must be stressed that it has far more to do with ideology and the harsh realities of disaster-capitalism than it does with being beaten off the streets.

It’s great to live in a democracy, right? From the moment we are old enough to grasp the concept, the idea that we live in the freest of all possible worlds is drummed into us. From the pages of our school history books to the celluloid magic of our favourite movies, our way of life is portrayed as the ideal, one which we must preserve at all costs and, if possible, export to the less fortunate.

There is an increasing likelihood that the state owned forestry firm, Coillte, will be part of a rushed fire sale of semi-state companies. Last year, the government asked “An Bord Snip Nua” economist Colm McCarthy to head a semi-state privatisation group and produce a new report, which is believed to be almost complete. The original 2009 McCarthy report recommended the selling of Coillte “with a view to realising optimal return through rationalisation, asset disposal and, possibly, privatisation”. Thus, the prospect of a sell-off of Ireland’s entire public forest estate is now on the cards.

The Clarion describes itself as one of “Cork’s premier 4 Star City Centre Hotel”. Although it’s well able to charge for its rooms it cannot find its way to granting its workers a 29 cent per hour pay rise.

RSS and atom feeds allow you to keep track of new comments on particular stories. You can input the URL's from these links into a rss reader and you will be informed whenever somebody posts a new comment. hide help

The Libertarian Communist Group was formally launched at a meeting in North Wales on Saturday, November 8, 2014, the anniversary of the birth of Nestor Makhno, the famous Ukrainian anarchist. [Português] [Italiano]

The Workers Solidarity Movement had out conference last weekend at which many of the conclusions from the collections education and discussion process we have had over the last 2-3 years were formalised as policies.

There will be discussions, speakers from movements engaged in struggle, home and abroad. There will be books and stalls and much more. If you’ve been to one, then you know what I’m talking about, if you haven’t make sure you keep the date set aside, and we’ll be seeing you on the 12th of April.
Please mark your attendence on the main Facebook event for the bookfair and invite any friends you think should be interested. Publicity is one of the big costs of hosting it every year so you contribution in that way really helps.

The WSM had its Autumn national conference in Dublin on the 23rd November. National Conference is the ultimate decision making body in the WSM. It happens every six months usually over a day or two. As well as discussing motions time is also spent on discussing the past six months activity and prospects for the next period. Conference also hears reports of activity from all branches, officers and working groups. This covered areas like the Irish Anarchist Review, WSM Website, Dublin Anarchist Bookfair and our pro-choice and anti racist work.

We are pleased to announce our affiliation to the international anarchist communist co-operative project, Anarkismo. Our affiliation comes after months of discussion and clarification of Collective Action's political positions as well as the positions of constituent members of Anarkismo.

Liberty & Solidarity's 7th Biannual conference has taken the decision to disband the organisation. We are still proud of what Liberty & Solidarity has achieved and we hope to continue to work together towards shared goals, engaging with an ever broader range of trade unionists and community activists. Our project, the empowerment of working people within the workplace and society, remains the same.

Hundreds of people from all over Ireland are expected to attend the 7th annual Dublin Anarchist Bookfair which takes place in Liberty Hall, Dublin on Saturday 26th May. The Bookfair, organised by the Workers Solidarity Movement, will consist of a day of meetings, debates, discussions and films and will also host bookstalls and information stands from a large number of political organisations and campaigning groups.

Dublin has an influential anarchist group, the Workers Solidarity Movement. It co-ordinates involvement in local campaigns ('especifismo' social insertion) and distribute a free quarterly news-sheet of 6000+ copies. Glasgow lacks this, but is not lacking in serious community struggles or a need for closer and more structured involvement of anarchists and other socialists in those struggles.

Observant attendees of this year's anarchist bookfair may have noticed that Black Flag did not have a stall nor was a new issue out. Some speculation has been made on the libcom.org forums that it is no more. The truth is, perhaps. It depends on what happens next and whether people get involved.

Debate on the effectiveness of the Black Bloc tactic could well go on forever. It is certainly hard to avoid the conclusion that anti-globalisation protests that avoid direct action will kill off the movement, or at least greatly reduce participation in it.

The Libertarian Communist Group was formally launched at a meeting in North Wales on Saturday, November 8, 2014, the anniversary of the birth of Nestor Makhno, the famous Ukrainian anarchist. [Português] [Italiano]

Liberty & Solidarity's 7th Biannual conference has taken the decision to disband the organisation. We are still proud of what Liberty & Solidarity has achieved and we hope to continue to work together towards shared goals, engaging with an ever broader range of trade unionists and community activists. Our project, the empowerment of working people within the workplace and society, remains the same.

Hundreds of people from all over Ireland are expected to attend the 7th annual Dublin Anarchist Bookfair which takes place in Liberty Hall, Dublin on Saturday 26th May. The Bookfair, organised by the Workers Solidarity Movement, will consist of a day of meetings, debates, discussions and films and will also host bookstalls and information stands from a large number of political organisations and campaigning groups.